5 Best Live Chat Softwares for Real Estate Professionals

Are you using a live chat messenger app to take advantage of the crucial moment when digital homebuyers find your website and want to view your listings? Many smart real estate agents and brokerages are using live chat to convert interested homebuyers into loyal subscribers.

Are you aware of the number of visitors to your website each day who do not reach out to you?

If you are not monitoring your website analytics, it may come as a surprise to realize the number of potential clients who are leaving your site without any interaction on a daily basis.

Fortunately, having the appropriate live chat software enables you to significantly enhance your interaction with online visitors.

How To Get More Visitors To Commit To Your Real Estate Website

There are a variety of marketing ideas available for you to employ in order to encourage online prospects to further explore your brand.

For example, you can: 1. Begin by considering 2. Restructure the sentence 3. Use synonyms or different phrasing Original text: It is important to develop good communication skills in order to succeed in professional settings. Step by step rephrasing: 1. It is crucial to acquire adequate communication abilities to excel in professional environments. 2. Developing proficient communication skills is essential for achieving success in professional contexts. 3. Succeeding in professional settings requires the development of effective communication skills.

Give your content an overhaul and make it more enticing
Add video to your home page that clearly conveys the benefits of working with you
Install pop-up email captures for those who are leaving the site
OR, you can utilize live chat software to interact with clients at all times

What Is Live Chat Software?

Live chat software refers to any application or program that enables a business to communicate with online visitors through a chat box that appears on the screen.

It is probable that you have already utilized live chat software during your online browsing experience. Live chat has been utilized by cell phone providers and large retailers for many years.

Live chat can be utilized on your real estate website to provide prompt answers to visitors’ questions, preventing them from leaving to explore your competitors due to a lack of necessary information.

If the information a potential customer needs is listed under your services page, they may not know where to locate it. However, if you are able to engage in a chat with them when they are actively searching, your likelihood of acquiring the client increases significantly.

Create Conversations With Potential Home Shoppers

Chatbots and live chat options are used by consumers not only for obtaining facts and information, but also to assess a new service provider. Despite this, many real estate agents make the significant error of avoiding the integration of chatbots.

Embrace the fact that the way most of us communicate in 2018 is through chat, such as text messages, Facebook Messenger, and Instagram direct messages. This way of speaking with one another has become familiar to the majority of homebuyers.

When speaking to clients, don’t hesitate to express your personality and treat them as if they were already your friend. By using a simple emoticon, you can effectively convey your intentions during chat conversations.

Make Sure Your Software Is Mobile

When you work as a real estate agent, you have the entire world as your workspace. Whether you are attending networking events, showing houses, or handing over keys, it is important to stay connected to your website. The optimal live chat choices enable you to stay fully mobile, engaging in conversations with website visitors from any place you are.

5 Most Popular Live Chat Options For Real Estate Agents And Brokerages

#1) Intercom

Intercom provides a diverse selection of packages that encompass services beyond live chat, including comprehensive support, sales, and marketing. Typically catering to small to medium-sized businesses, Intercom is particularly well-suited for the typical real estate agent.

Intercom, in addition to other features, possesses the capability to automatically reply to visitors on websites. This functionality is highly efficient in determining when an authentic human response is necessary. By having most of your inquiries managed through strategic auto-responses, you can save time and reduce the number of notifications you receive.

Intercom offers Slack integration, enabling you and your team to directly respond to visitors within the app.

Anticipate paying slightly higher for this solution, with a price of approximately $105 per month.

#2) Drift (Powered By Slack)

Drift is a simple option for live chat software setup, making it a suitable solution for those with more expertise in real estate rather than technology. Like its parent company Slack, Drift is known for its speed, efficiency, and attractive user experience.

In addition to enhancing its charm, Drift also performs the tasks of sending outbound emails to your clients, scheduling meetings on your behalf, and documenting all your live conversations.

If you choose to use Drift, which is considered to be one of the most advanced and aesthetically pleasing alternatives available, you will need to make a payment. The price for the “Pro Version” of this real estate agent tool can range up to $500, based on your specific requirements.

#3) Facebook Messenger (For Your Real Estate Website)

Facebook Messenger App is a highly popular live chat option worldwide, and real estate agents can adopt Facebook Messenger for Business. There are various ways to implement this, such as embedding a “Message Us” button using Javascript or HTML text or setting up a complete chat box on your website.

In order to use Facebook’s chat widget, all you need is a Facebook business page, which is recommended for every real estate agent. Facebook is the most affordable live chat choice, despite having the fewest features.

#4) LiveHelpNow

LiveHelpNow offers a live chat solution specifically designed for small businesses, which makes it an ideal choice for the majority of real estate agents. Users have the flexibility to customize the specific services they desire.

One of the features that we like the most about this software is its analytics, which allow you to learn more about your visitors. Additionally, there are various call management options available to build a FAQ section.

Depending on the solutions you require, the price may vary, but anticipate paying approximately $20-25 per month.

#5) LivePerson

If security is a concern for your real estate business, LivePerson could be the ideal solution. LivePerson specifically caters to larger clients and offers live chat software to companies like Virgin Atlantic and United Way.

If you anticipate a low volume of conversations, the pricing model charges business owners for each live chat on their website, which can be beneficial. However, it may be challenging to budget effectively if your chat volume fluctuates significantly.

The services and support features are designed specifically for larger enterprises, which means this may be more suitable for a brokerage rather than an individual agent.

How live chat is essential for real estate agents and brokers?

Real estate relies on interpersonal connections for business purposes. Meeting in person is crucial to finalize a sale. However, nowadays, real estate agents are more likely to initiate contact with potential homebuyers through online platforms.

Although online communication has advantages such as speed, reach, and ease of use, if something goes wrong, you might lose a customer even before they attend your open house.

Fortunately, the utilization of live chat can enable real estate agents to evade the drawbacks of digital customer service, all the while enhancing sales.

Factors of a poor digital customer experience

In the past, most of a real estate agent’s interaction with a customer occurred in person. This could be a consultation at your agency or an open house on a Sunday, where you would establish a connection with homebuyers using a handshake, your charm, and your knowledge. However, in today’s market, which is heavily influenced by millennials, the focus is on what the customer can learn before reaching out to you.

Once homebuyers have completed their research, they initiate contact with agents and anticipate prompt responses. However, agents face several obstacles that prevent them from meeting these digital expectations.

They lack the necessary tools to respond promptly, as they depend on outdated means such as email or other obsolete methods of customer interaction instead of employing modern forms of customer experience and personal interactions.

2. The reason they don’t have enough time is because they lack a system to address every inquiry promptly or at all.

They fail to comprehend errors in communication commonly made and as a result, they neglect to respond to numerous messages.

Agents must respond to every customer as quickly as possible, as failing to do so could result in losing the buyer to another agent or agency. The speed of your response can determine whether a sale is closed or lost.

Benefits of a quick response time

Without a doubt, the ability to respond quickly is crucial in enticement potential customers to your business. However, exploring further reveals numerous advantages.

According to The Real Estate Trainer, a well-liked resource among agents, it is recommended to reply to all inquiries within 5 minutes as the probability of acquiring a new client decreases substantially after this timeframe. Around 78% of potential home buyers tend to choose the agent who responds to them initially.

If you fail to take advantage of the 5-minute opportunity, you will have to dedicate a substantial amount of time to pursue further. It might require making 6-8 separate attempts to get in touch with the buyer. After this, your chances of success are slim.

Moreover, the majority of current home buyers are millennial’s, who are digital natives and have high expectations of efficient service. They are accustomed to instant gratification through text messaging and chat apps, and they desire prompt responses from their real estate team. By incorporating appropriate tools such as productivity management tools for real estate agencies and chat-boxes, you can enhance your customers’ digital experience effortlessly.

Chat boxes and real estate: a case study

In order for real estate agents to stay competitive and further improve their businesses, they should consider utilizing chat boxes, as shown by a 2015 study conducted by Real Trends titled “The Efficacy of Online Live Chat Services for Real Estate.”

A group of real estate agencies that had hired third-party chat services to manage their online inquiries were given a 16-question survey. The survey asked participants about the impact of installing a chat service on their lead generation and conversion rate.

Nearly 60% of respondents stated that live chat services were an integral part of their businesses, resulting in an overwhelmingly positive response from agents.

The chat was initiated by 71% of respondents after clients had spent a predetermined amount of time on their websites.

Chat boxes have been proven to be effective in generating new leads, resulting in a 36% increase in contacts. Out of those contacts, almost half were considered to be qualified leads. Additionally, around 8% of these leads ultimately led to a transaction. This conversion rate is significantly higher, three times to be exact, compared to other customer conversion methods. Therefore, it is evident that live chat services are an essential tool to possess.

What to do when tools are already in place

After incorporating new communication tools into your digital strategy, follow these tips to ensure the best possible experience and add a personal touch to your Live Chat support.

When personalizing automation, put effort into making automated responses feel authentic. Incorporate emojis or relatable language to ensure that your customers continue to feel a connection.

Before answering inquiries quickly, it is important to clarify the customer’s expectations to ensure understanding.

· Show gratitude: displaying appreciation is crucial; ensure your customer feels valued right from the beginning of your interaction by expressing gratitude, utilizing phrases such as “thank you” and incorporating polite gestures like “please,” while also respecting their time.

In order to create a friendly atmosphere during the conversation, kindly request the customer’s name, enabling you to add a personal touch.

To ensure clarity in your responses, it is important to proofread your messages to avoid any confusion. Please think step by step and rephrase the text below while keeping the same meaning and refraining from adding or removing any information: “Maintaining the same meaning, please rephrase the text below while thinking step by step. Avoid adding new information and do not remove any information. Also, please proofread your messages to ensure clarity in your responses.”

· Ensure action is taken: always make sure the conversation concludes with a clear understanding of the next steps, be it arranging a meeting at your agency or meeting at a property.

Adapting to change

Real estate agents must adapt as the real estate industry changes with today’s technology, as a significant number of home buyers today are millennials who have experienced remarkable technological progress during their upbringing.

Millennial home buyers expect quick processing of information and prioritize the same level of speed when hiring a service. Utilizing text messaging and chat apps is crucial in connecting with them.

By having this ability, you can meet their expectations without needing to be a technology expert. When potential buyers first contact you, most of them will do so online. Studies show that implementing live chat services is the most effective method for boosting lead generation and conversion during these initial contacts. It is crucial to be prepared for this initial interaction and make the most out of the opportunity.

Has your real estate agency adapted to the changes in your customers?